HISTORIC PITTSFIELD WALKING TOURS
This summer the Berkshire County Historical Society will offer a series of walking tours that highlight various aspects of Pittsfield’s rich and diverse history. Tour themes touch on the people and places that helped shape our community including the city’s industrial past, its role in the Revolutionary War, the impact of immigrant communities during the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries, art, architecture, and sports.
All tours begin at 11 am (unless otherwise stated) and last approximately 60 – 90 minutes and are offered rain or shine, but extreme weather may necessitate cancellation. Dress for the weather and in comfortable walking shoes; sunscreen and a hat are recommended.
Pre-registration is required and can be made by using the BOOK NOW button. $15 for BCHS members, $20 for non-members.
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Pittsfield Cemetery Tour
Meet at the Wahconah Street entrance – 203 Wahconah Street)
July 11; August 24
Join BCHS Executive Director Lesley Herzberg to learn about the senators, journalists, veterans, and others who shaped Pittsfield landscape over the centuries.
Downtown Mural Tour
Meet at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Street entrance
July 16; August 20
Explore downtown Pittsfield and the more than two dozen murals that brighten the city’s streetscapes. BCHS Executive Director Lesley Herzberg will lead a tour that will touch on the origins of the city’s murals, and the artists and the inspiration that bring color, vibrancy, and culture to downtown.
Neighbors and Strangers Tour
Meet at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Street entrance
July 2, 9, 23, 30; August 27
Led by Cynthia Farr Brown, Neighbors and Strangers links the “big story” of America’s rapidly changing population during the 19th and early 20th centuries, as European immigrants flocked to the U.S. to realize opportunities and escape oppression or catastrophe, to a series of sites in downtown Pittsfield. Learn about how Irish, German, French and Italian immigrants came to Pittsfield, settled themselves and their families, and contributed to the Berkshire community.
Revolutionary Pittsfield
Meet at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Street entrance
July 12; August 30
Join local historian and costumed eighteenth-century interpreter Tim Abbott for a guided walk through Revolutionary Pittsfield. Visit the sites of prominent dwellings, meeting houses and taverns to learn about the notable people events of the day that took place here. Expect to spend about ninety minutes strolling through the center of the city, after which you are welcome to join us for a libation at a nearby establishment.
Wahconah Park Tour
Meet at Wahconah Park front gate (105 Wahconah Street)
July 5 with Jim McGrath
July 23 @ 5:30 pm with Larry Moore
August 13, 23 with Larry Moore
Since its “birth” in 1892, the playing field at Wahconah Park had been the home to fifty-nine years of professional baseball. Turned over to the city in 1919, when the original wooden grandstands were constructed, this diamond in the rough has seen years and years of the game of ball being played. From Babe Ruth league, high school, American Legion ball, summer collegiate league and minor leagues – many stars have set foot on this historic diamond. Come learn the great history of the game and this iconic ballpark.
Downtown Pittsfield Architecture
Did you know the center of Pittsfield is a local historic district? The City of Pittsfield placed sixty plaques throughout the downtown area to showcase the historic buildings that make up that district. Many are still standing, while others sadly are lost to history. To explore this district, join John Dickson on two separate walking tours.
Meet at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Street entrance
August 1, North and South Street Historic Buildings
Meet at the Big Y parking lot, 200 West Street
August 28, Urban Renewal in the 1960s
Pittsfield’s Industrial History
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oin us for three different city walks that discuss Pittsfield’s industrial history, following the transition from its agricultural roots through textiles and paper, and into the twentieth century of electrical power.
Meet at Pontoosuc Lake Boat ramp, Hancock Road
July 25, Early Years with John Dickson
Meet at Berkshire Environmental Action Team parking lot on 26 Chapel Street
August 8, Mill Villages with John Dickson and Chris Gallagher
Meet at 72 Silver Lake Blvd (Mountain One parking lot)
August 15, Silver Lake John Dickson and Chris Gallagher
This program is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Feigenbaum Foundation.